The Towering Inferno

This is the 1970's disaster movie in all its glory.

There is a FIRE in the HIGHEST BUILDING ON EARTH on the night of its first big party way, way up on its top floor. It may all be the fault of the owner's son-in-law, who was responsible for the electric wiring and cut corners because he was expected to work as cheaply as possible. Wouldn't want to upset wife's daddy, since he's got the big bucks and all.

While the attendees of the party are kept in the dark for a bit, because the building is so state of the art and the fire is way down on the 81st floor (initially), surely there is nothing to worry about. Wouldn't want to cause a panic when nothing much may be happening.

Among the ones not blissfully ignorant to the unfolding disaster are the architect and the commander of the fire department, heroically portrayed by professional heroes Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. Also on their side is the security chief, played by O.J. Simpson back in the day when he could still get a job in films.

The fire expands and expands looking magnificent and, yes, people will die, because in the 1970's everything was out to get you.

Of all the disaster movies of the decade, this is the one with all the stars in it. I kind of love it.

7/10

Death Wish

After his wife and daughter get attacked in his New York apartment, which leaves his wife dead and his daughter in a catatonic state, Paul Kersey takes it upon himself to rid the city of muggers. In general. He does not try to find the trio of bad guys that actually mugged, hurt and killed his own family. In fact, we never find out whatever happens to them, nor do they ever by accident run into him during their daily muggings and get offed as a consequence. For all we know, they get away with it.

Kersey becomes a fast hero in the crime infested city and gets named the vigilante. The police are slowly edging in on him, but not only do people that get to see his face not want to identify him (on accounts of him saving them), the police commissioner himself is not to keen on catching him. Since he went on his crime fighting spree, muggings have gone way down. The main investigator, who by this time has figured out that Kersey is the man he is looking for, is instructed to 'scare him off'. He isn't supposed to actually catch him but simply make him stop doing what he is doing.

When his reckless going after bad guys, that appear to only ever arm themselves with knife and therefore stand no chance against the vigilante's gun, catches up with him on a much more personal level - he chances upon the one bad guy that actually has a gun - and leaves him in the hospital, injured, the investigating officer visits him and suggest he get out of New York. Permanently.

Kersey heads this advice and moves to....Chicago! Sure, no crimes happening there at all.

Charles Bronson is as wooden as can be, with barely a move of a face muscle. But this is what one expects from the guy, I guess. Along the film, some familiar faces pop up in very, very small roles - Jeff Goldblum (in his first ever feature film as Freak #1, one of the original assailants), Olympia Dukakis (an unnamed cop working the precinct responsible for the case), and Christopher Guest (as a young police officer, who comes upon the scene of the last shooting that leaves Kersey injured).

4/10

Il portiere di notte (The Night Porter)

Max works the night shift on the front desk of a hotel in Vienna (my beautiful city!) where he one day recognizes one of the guests. Lucia is in the city with her conductor husband.

Lucia and Max met in a concentration camp, where she was an inmate while was in the SS. Some kinky stuff went on in the camp. Not only were the two having a sado-masochistic relationship, but some of the inmates entertained the staff, sometimes half naked.

Now, 13 years later, the pair picks up right where they left off, much to the chagrin of Max' friends from back then, one of which recognizes 'a female witness' to the entertainment evenings they all participated in. Lucia and Max hole up in his small apartment while Lucia's husband is looking for her and Max' friends try to get their hands on Lucia to do away with her (one presumes).

The pair is played by the always wonderful Dirk Bogarde and a young and pretty Charlotte Rampling (where did the time go?).

Disturbing.

7/10

The Man with the Golden Gun

Roger Moore's second James Bond adventure unfortunately has nothing on his first one. The story just doesn't hold up to Live and Let Die, despite the villain in this being the great Christopher Lee, which makes it doubly sad. What a waste of talent.

Lee plays Scaramanga, a contract killer, aided by his dwarf Nick Nack (!). The female (of course) assistant Bond has at his side is called Goodnight (*eye-roll*). And as if that weren't comic relief enough, JW Pepper, the dorky small town sheriff from the previous film, is forced on us again. He is still not very funny.

The touristic adventure takes us to Asia again - this time to Hong Kong and Bangkok, where Scaramanga works for one Hai Fat. And yes, we get Asian martial arts - an entire school of martial arts students. They get knocked out by two teenage girls in school uniforms. And with that we have probably covered every cliche conceivable about the Asian continent, no?

Oh yes, there is also a flying car.

Scaramanga invests in solar energy, so he's not really that bad a guy, is he?

4/10